Municipal flag

Municipal data of Veendam: Inhabitants: 28.301; Area: 78,81 km2.
Settlements: Bareveld (part), Borgercompagnie (part), Kibbelgaarn,
Korte Akkers, Numero Dertien, Ommelanderwijk, Tripscompagnie (part), Veendam
(seat), Wildervank, Wildervanksterdallen, Zuidwending.
Veendam is c. 30 km southeast of Groningen city. It is the second largest
town of the province, the main town of the 'Veenkoloniën" (Peat-region).
It has national fame because of its football (soccer) stadium, called 'De
lange Leegte' (The Long Emptiness), symbolizing the sight after all
peat had been dug out... It is now a busy industrial municipality.
The flag was adopted 14 May 1955 with the municipal CoA on the white
stripe. Adriaan Geerts Wildervanck (1605-62) founded Veendam and Wildervank
in 1647. A monument in front of the old municipal building in Wildervank
reminds of him. His original name was Adriaan Geerts Paap, but he was also
known as A. G. Wildvang. His wife, Margaretha Hardenberg, was once sleeping
in the heather, when she was attacked by a viper. She promised to build
on that spot a church, whereupon the viper fell on the ground and disappeared.
There the church of Wildervank was built. This story is painted on the
CoA
of Veendam, while the Wildervank arms just have a big heap of "turven",
blocks of peat, the main product of the marshes, known as "Veenkoloniën".
Although they were separate settlements, nearly all settlements were built
in one very long stretch along the channels, the main being the Stadskanaal
(Stad = city, in this case Groningen, the main town of the Northern Netherlands.
No wonder that at present Veendam and Wildervank form one long community.
The oldest reported flag of Veendam was plain white (flagbook of Steenbergen,
c. 1870). The Society for the Benefit of the Marine (Maatschappij to
Nut der Zeevaart (1817) had a white flag with a twice cut through canton
of red, white and blue. Finally there was a white flag with two intertwined
V's (merchant flag).
Jarig Bakker, 15 November 1999

Veendam's old VV flag

A merchantmen particular flag: a white field with a monogram of two
"V"s.
Jarig Bakker, 30 Apr 2003

Veendam's present flag according to Sierksma

by Jarig Bakker, 30 Apr 2003

Sierksma's drawing of the present flag, as adopted 24 May 1955, has
the CoA close to the hoist, and the bottom of the arms is round. I have
asked Mr. Hans van Heijningen's opinion about this version; he replied
that he had read all municipal decisions in order to know whether Sierksma's
renditions were correct. In the case of Veendam it is his opinion, based
on the municipal decision, that the Shipmate-version is incorrect, and
that Sierksma's version is correct.
Jarig Bakker, 30 Apr 2003

Veendam municipality CoA

Tot Nut der Zeevaart Zeemanscollege, Veendam

(See Zeemanscolleges)
Maatschappij "Tot Nut der Zeevaart" (Society for the Benefit
of the Marine), established December 1817 (probably; certainly 1815-1820)
in "het Veendammer Schippershuus" in Veendam. This college was such
a success that it even decided to establish a School of Navigation, which
existed 1851-1879. Leen Smit pictures number 137. The society was still
in existence around 1879, but by 1979 it had disappeared.
Flag: Red with a Dutch canton 1/3rd of the flags dimensions in size.
In the image the black number can barely be made out, but it appears to
starts just flywise of the canton, though hoistwise in the middle 1/3rd
of the flag. (I'm unable to ascertain whether or not there's a letter in
front of the number.) At this page we have
the same flag, without number, but with a white field. I do not know whether
this means the flag of the college had a colour different from that of
the members.
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 6 Dec 2001